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Virtual Cards

Anima lets you issue virtual debit cards directly to AI agents. Each card carries its own spending limits, merchant restrictions, and optional pre-approval rules, so your agents can make autonomous purchases without requiring per-transaction human review.
Production card issuing requires completed KYB approval. See KYB Onboarding to start verification before issuing cards.

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Issue a card

1

Install the SDK

npm install @anima-labs/sdk
2

Create an agent and issue a card

import { Anima } from "@anima-labs/sdk";

const anima = new Anima({ apiKey: "ak_..." });

// Create an agent
const agent = await anima.agents.create({ name: "Shopping Agent" });

// Issue a virtual card
const card = await anima.cards.create({
  agentId: agent.id,
  label: "Daily Shopping",
  currency: "usd",
  spendLimitDaily: 10000,      // $100.00 in cents
  spendLimitPerAuth: 5000,     // $50.00 per transaction
  allowedMerchantCategories: ["5411", "5412"],
});

console.log(`Card: **** ${card.last4}`);
console.log(`Daily limit: $${(card.spendLimitDaily / 100).toFixed(2)}`);

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List cards

const cards = await anima.cards.list({ agentId: agent.id });

for (const card of cards.data) {
  console.log(`${card.label}: **** ${card.last4} — ${card.status}`);
}

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Freeze and unfreeze a card

Freeze a card to pause all authorizations without deleting it. Unfreeze to resume spending. 
// Freeze
await anima.cards.freeze({ cardId: card.id });

// Unfreeze
await anima.cards.unfreeze({ cardId: card.id });

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Check balance

const balance = await anima.cards.getBalance(card.id);

console.log(`Available: $${(balance.availableCents / 100).toFixed(2)}`);
console.log(`Spent today: $${(balance.spentTodayCents / 100).toFixed(2)}`);

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Card parameters

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agentId
string
required
The ID of the agent that owns this card.
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label
string
required
A human-readable name for the card, such as "Research Card" or "Travel Expenses".
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currency
string
required
ISO 4217 currency code. Use "usd" for US dollars.
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spendLimitDaily
number
Maximum total spend per calendar day, in cents.
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spendLimitPerAuth
number
Maximum amount per individual transaction, in cents.
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allowedMerchantCategories
string[]
List of MCC codes the card is permitted to transact with. When set, all other categories are blocked.

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Next steps

  • Card Controls — Set per-transaction limits, MCC rules, velocity controls, and pre-approval logic
  • KYB Onboarding — Complete business verification required for production card issuing
  • Agent Wallet — Budget management and x402 payments